Quote:
Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins
He looked more open in his stance which helps with the inside pitch as DJ said, but I don't see how he doesn't end up eating a steady diet of breaking and offspeed pitches away.
|
Interestingly, opening his stance actually closed his setup.
He used to be a little more closed but then would open as he came to and started his swing. By opening his stance, he actually steps in a little as he's coming to his ready position. It's helping him keep his shoulders in a little longer and helping him drive through that inside pitch better instead of opening up and swinging over top of it.
It's a much better base; something that can actually help him get to that outside pitch a little better. But his that's gonna be a timing problem for him to really stay through that pitch and drive it. He still doesn't keep his top side in long enough.
They took a fairly unconventional approach to it but it's strangely exactly what I had to do as a kid when I was flying open. I'd open MORE in an attempt to make my first move more exaggerated towards the pitcher and close things up better.
Credit to somebody for helping him out a bit. It was clear what the problem was and at least someone seems to have found the beginnings of a solution to it.
He honestly has as much raw offensive talent as anyone in the game. I genuinely believe that. The hands are great, the raw power is incredible, the athleticism is there, the eye is no worse than average. Everything is there for him to be a 3-5 hitter and a genuine run producer. He just needs to unlock that talent.
Maybe this is a first step.